For the past 35 years I have worked as a photographer and then as an abstract painter. For the past twenty years I have worked almost exclusively on abstract mixed media encaustic painting, a process of applying multiple layers of paper collage and colored beeswax.

I love encaustic painting for its direct, physical and alchemical process. Each layer of wax, after it is applied onto a wooden panel with a brush, is fused with a paint stripper, hot iron, or blowtorch. The work is then altered through the application of additional layers, and by scraping off sections with razors and scratching into it with sharp points. Oil paints are rubbed into indentations and wiped off. This produces either a thick, gritty surface, or a thin translucent veil hinting at what else the painting might have been. The melting process can be unpredictable though, and sometimes strange results can occur. This forces me to be flexible and to remain open to the myriad possibilities that this medium allows.

For the past twenty years I have been represented by the Seagergray gallery in Mill Valley, California. If interested in my work, inquire with Donna Seager or Suzanne Gray here or you can also visit my painting website here.